One Day Before She Died of Cancer, TikToker Deborah Finck Watched Daughter Try on Wedding Dresses: 'Will Remember Forever'
"I actually thought I would never see this day," Deborah Finck said in a video posted just before her death was announced on Jan. 14
Katerina Finck/Instagram
Deborah Finck and daughter Katerina Finck.One day before TikTok star Deborah Finck died of rare soft tissue cancer, her daughter Katerina arranged a meaningful memory.
Connecticut-based bridal boutique Wedding Embassy brought a number of wedding gowns to the Finck family home for Katerina to try on, even though she has no current plans to get married. In a video about the experience shared with their hundreds of thousands of followers online, she summarized their reasons for making the special day happen.
"Just to preface, I am not engaged," Katerina told the camera while sitting beside Deborah. "However, my mom is sick, she has stage 4 cancer, and so I wanted to try on dresses in front of her so that I had that moment of going wedding dress shopping with her."
"thank you @weddingembassy !" she wrote in the caption. "You made this day very special, a day I will remember forever 💕"
On Tuesday, Jan. 14, Katerina announced her mother's death on social media, where she had been posting about her mom's cancer journey with leiomyosarcoma since 2020. The news came just one day after the mother-daughter duo's wedding dress shopping experience.
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Though she's not engaged, Katerina noted that she does have a boyfriend, whom she pictures will be "the one."
"This is one of those moments that I just kind of accepted ... wouldn't happen in my life and that my mom wouldn't be there when I try on dresses, but today it is," she shared in a video earlier in the day.
In footage posted from the at-home fashion show, Deborah — who was in hospice care at the end of her life — can be seen sitting on their sofa reacting to a number of gowns her daughter modeled in their living room. They shared videos of her mom's emotional reactions and honest opinions of six options, though Katerina did not show which dress she ultimately picked.
Deborah, who once appeared on the reality series Nanny 911, posted a heartfelt video ahead of the dresses' arrival on her personal TikTok and Instagram pages. At the time of her death, she had over 800,000 followers between platforms.
"I actually thought I would never see this day. Today is the day that my daughter is going to pick out, or look at, bridal dresses," the late mom of six — whom she welcomed in three sets of twins — said in her video. "Because I might not be here when she picks out her pretty dress."
She added how excited she was to watch Katerina and "see that first look on her face when she tries on the first dress."
After the Wedding Embassy representative left their home, Deborah recorded a recap, beginning her post with a happy smile. She included clips of Katerina in most of the options, but her mom maintained that she "couldn't show" the last one, since her youngest daughter might end up purchasing it for her walk down the aisle one day.
"She really liked it. It was very, very pretty. So I'll leave that up to her, 'cause that's her decision when the time comes," said Deborah.
She went on to address Katerina directly: "Mommy will always be there with you, I promise. No matter where I am. And I'm glad that you shared this day with me. I love you so much," the proud parent concluded.
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